here today, gone tomorrow
by SmallShadowyBirds
Summary: Not seen, not heard, but still there, somehow—not physically, but spiritually. A story where the sixth man truly becomes a phantom. Alternately, a story where a sudden event takes the life of their sixth man, and how precious a phantom can really be, even to miracles. Warning - Major Character Death, Implied shipping (but I think it's more friendship than anything else)
1. here today

** I. here today**

* * *

Kuroko was never the dramatic type. Despite the countless amount of people beside him screaming (though they had every reason to), his mouth wasn't even open. In fact, it was as though his physical senses weren't working at all.

He did not scream, but he didn't hear the screaming.

There was a book in his hand that he had been reading until moments earlier, but it must have fallen on the ground in his shock, because he could no longer feel it.

Though the smell surely must have been mephitic, he didn't bother paying attention to it.

It was as though he had become deaf, ageusic, anosmic, and lost his sense of touch all at once.

But through his widened eyes, a single colour was reflected in it: red.

The sunset dyed the sky red. The person who lay sprawled on the ground, limbs twisted at different angles before his eyes was red. The front of the truck was red. The pavement was smeared red. The stoplight was red.

But no, this person couldn't be anyone he knew.

No matter what anyone said, it couldn't be someone he knew. He couldn't even see the face of the person, since it was dyed red just like everything else, but it **_couldn't be someone he knew_**. It was just a lump of red.

Just the single colour burned the back of his retina.

Something began spreading out before his eyes just then, making it hard to see. Blurring the red and black together until he saw nothing but a dark crimson colour. It cleared and then blurred again as something ran down his cheeks.

In the end, everything faded to black.

* * *

When Kuroko opened his eyes, he was in his room.

_So it was just a dream, then._ He accepted that. It was rather rare for him to have a dream as frightening as that one. Just yesterday he remembered seeing a trailer for a movie as gory as the dream he saw, but Kuroko didn't usually get nightmares from such things, since he was aware it was all makeup, CGI, and other pricey special effects.

Well, as of now, it was a thing of the past. He looked at the clock, and saw that he had waken up ten minutes late. It was unusual for his alarm not to go off. Well, he paid no mind, and set it so that the same thing wouldn't happen tomorrow.

In a rush, he put on his uniform and patted down both the creases in it and his bedhead. Checking himself in the mirror for a moment, and jog-walked out into the kitchen.

He saw yet another unusual sight—there was no quick run-out breakfast this time. Normally, his grandmother would smear some jam on a piece of toast if he was late. He supposed it was fine today, though, since skipping breakfast wouldn't kill him if it only happened for one day. He wasn't even hungry, so he figured it would have been ill-mannered to trouble his grandmother.

Actually, now that he thought about it, usually if his alarm clock didn't wake him up, she would.

He also smelled an odd scent, but couldn't recognize it.

_Perhaps she's feeling unwell?_ Kuroko thought, though he had no time to dwell on it. He decided to ask her after school, since he would be late if he stayed at home any longer.

"I'm off, then." He called out quietly, in case his grandmother really _was_ feeling unwell and sleeping. Hearing no response, he assumed that was the case, opened the door and walked out.

* * *

At Seirin, Kagami was waiting for his daily jumpscare.

Usually, it didn't matter where he was—he could have been walking through the iron school gates or already in his desk in class when Kuroko would tap him on the back of his shoulder with a deadpanned, "Good morning, Kagami-kun." That usually ensued hilarity, as Kagami's relaxed stature would shoot up (if he was drinking anything, one could expect all the contents to be either all over the floor or in a misty form), and he would then scold Kuroko for doing it for the _millionth time._

No matter how much he prepared himself for it, no matter how many times he went through it, Kuroko would manage to get him. Every. Single. Goddamn. Time.

But by the time the bell rang, he still didn't get his jumpscare.

Huh.

Kuroko was almost never absent. That was kind of weird (and lonely—but don't tell Kuroko that), but Kagami decided to enjoy his scare-less day. He could do anything and Kuroko wouldn't find out. He wouldn't get a glare after class for failing his tests and putting the entire basketball team at risk of losing by getting himself suspended from club activities. One test wouldn't matter that much, right? Besides, there were no tests he heard about today—just boring old lectures.

In fact, Kagami beamed. Even if it was for just today (since according to the rest of the Teikou starters, Kuroko had very fast recoveries from illnesses, and his attendance was almost always perfect), he could fully enjoy himself.

No! That kind of thinking was too naïve! He bet Kuroko was using his misdirection. After all, April Fools was coming up. Figuring that he was finally aware of Kuroko's diabolical plan, he jerked his head back at Kuroko's seat, but found that Kuroko really wasn't there.

Kagami smirked. _No scolding from Kuroko today,_ he thought to himself in a sing-song voice as he made a pillow with his arms to catch up on sleep.

The rest of the day passed unexpectedly normally. After school, Kagami went over to the gymnasium in a considerably better mood than he'd normally be, especially considering that he had gotten at least two hours of sleep before his math teacher went over to him and hit him over the head with the textbook.

It was still worth it, if you asked Kagami.

Anyway, after going to the gym and practicing some layups, dribbling techniques, passing, and cutting, they all formed a group around their coach, Riko Aida, as she was forming ideas for her newest strategy to win yet another year.

"And Kuroko-kun, you'll be—"

She looked up to find him in the crowd, which was always a difficult thing to do. Still, she wasn't able to find him.

"Oh, looks like Kuroko-kun isn't here today."

Nobody exclaimed anything like 'you just noticed?!', since it _was _Kuroko. It was an easy mistake to make with the kid. Plus, it was rare for him to be ever absent, so it wasn't out of the ordinary to just assume he was there.

"Well, okay. It's fine, I'll tell him later. Furihata-kun, you'll be..." She continued on with her list, before they were all dismissed.

Kagami followed his usual routine. He figured he'd go to Maji Burger, get his usual ridiculous amount of burgers, then go off to play some street basketball for a bit of extra practice. The Winter Cup had been tiring, but no doubt after defeating them, they would be practicing to beat them again.

_Especially_ that god damned, cocky, big-mouthed, 'your light is too dim', 'the only one who can beat me is me' Aomine Daiki.

Just thinking about the asshole messed up his three-pointer. His entire body was twitching with an eagerness to put Touou's Ace down again with Kuroko. Or maybe even by himself, this time!

Grinning evilly in anticipation, he dunked the ball in with a smirk just as cocky as Aomine would have.

Completely disregarding his ringing cellphone.

* * *

Kuroko knew two facts that lead him to his assumption.

1\. April Fools day was coming up soon.

2\. His entire basketball team was cruel. (And don't mistake them for the buddy-buddy type—any coach that made their team confess to their crush naked if they lost could only be called cruel.)

Since it was the week following April Fools, he figured they had all come up with a plan: ignore Kuroko, and when April 1st rolled around, after school, they would all do jazz hands, stick their tongues out playfully, attempt to surprise him and shout, 'April Fools! Hahahahahahahha!' As though it were some joke.

The rest of his class was only obvious—they never noticed him anyway, nor did they have any need to.

He was rather annoyed at Kagami the most.

When he was scolding Kagami for falling asleep in class during lunch, Kagami completely ignored him. If it were just fine, then Kuroko could easily have let it pass, but Kagami ignored him for the _entire day_.

He wasn't sure who came up with the scheme, but he guessed it was either one of the first years, Kiyoshi, the Coach, Hyuga, or Kagami himself.

Even trailing Kagami from the club to Maji Burger, with the inconsiderate idiot not even leaving a single burger for him, then to the usual empty court Kagami would play some streetball by himself or with Kuroko. Today, it was the former. Not because Kuroko didn't feel like it, but because Kagami didn't pass to him once.

...They must have been _really _insistent on not noticing Kuroko.

Kuroko looked over at Kagami's phone while he was sitting on the park bench and Kagami was practicing his dunking.

"Kagami-kun, your phone is ringing." He called out to Kagami, but Kagami didn't bother to look his way.

Kuroko figured it would be impolite to answer the phone call, but looked at the caller ID.

It was Aomine.

It was rare for him to call, since Kuroko figured there was no _reason_ for him to call. It wasn't as though Aomine was searching for a casual streetball match with Kagami, nor was he the type of guy to call when he was bored. It was true that they were acclaimed 'rivals' and respected each other (the word 'respect' being used very loosely), but Aomine just wouldn't call.

Today was just one rarity after another.

Well, if Kagami was going to be like that, Kuroko figured Aomine wouldn't mind if he answered instead. Then, Kagami would _have_ to reply to him.

Kuroko opened up the phone and hit the green button.

"This is Kuro-"

"Yo, Kagami. Did you get the news yet?" The voice was Aomine, but his voice sounded... different, somehow. Not casual, cocky, or challenging.

"This is Kuroko. Kagami-kun is ignoring me right now, for whatever reason. What-"

"Hey, Kagami. Answer. It's serious. I know you're there, you picked up the phone." Aomine replied.

"... Aomine-kun. Can you hear me right now? Please be honest." Kuroko said.

"Is your phone working?" Aomine asked. Kuroko took this as Aomine could not hear him, and would have undoubtedly replied—even if it was Kuroko—if it was serious. Plus, it wasn't the kind of thing to do.

"... Guess not. I'll talk to you later then." The call ended.

Kuroko looked at Kagami's phone before shutting it, seeing two missed calls from an unknown number.

Well, Kagami would find that out later.

"Kagami-kun, I don't think your cellphone is working." Kuroko stated. Kagami continued to play, without even looking back at Kuroko.

"... I'm leaving now. See you tomorrow, Kagami-kun." Kuroko said.

He was planning on calling Aomine from his own cellphone to see what was the serious 'news', but kind of curious why Aomine didn't call him in the first place.

He dialed Aomine's number on his cell, and it took less than a ring for an answer.

"Tetsu?! Are you alright?! The call earlier..." Aomine trailed off.

"Yes... is something supposed to be wrong with me? And what call?" Kuroko replied.

Aomine waited a few seconds before replying. "... What the fuck..."

"Aomine-kun, what hap-"

"The sound of air again...?" Aomine hung up after saying such an odd thing.

Kuroko began to believe it was more than a joke, and began walking at a faster pace toward his house.

The moment he entered, he smelled that odd scent he smelled before leaving that morning.

"I'm home." Kuroko said, but got no reply.

Instead, he heard a sob coming from the living room.

Turning the door around the corner, he saw that his mother and father were back home. His grandmother was there, too. She looked fine, except for her puffy eyes and red face.

Kuroko turned his head to see where they were facing, and immediately recognized the smell as his eyes widened and settled on the picture they were looking at.

It was himself.

* * *

Kagami headed home and looked at his cell. Two missed calls? He opened it up and saw it was from an unknown number, so he couldn't call them back.

He also noticed in his call log that he had answered a call from Aomine Daiki—no, wait, what?! He didn't recall doing _that._ And it's not like that was so insignificant he'd forget—Aomine not only _never_ called him, how the fuck did he get Kagami's number—

Oh, wait. Momoi. Duh.

The minute he closed and locked the door to his house, he began taking things out of his fridge while calling Aomine back.

Ring...

Wedging the phone in between his ear and raised shoulder, he reached in the fridge and pulled out bread, lettuce, tomatoes, and leftovers from a piece of steak he cooked.

Ring...

He grabbed a large knife and began thinly slicing the steak.

Ring...

After finishing the steak, he moved onto the vegetables.

Ring...

Beep.

"I swear to god, if you're not going to say anything, I'm going to punch you." The voice on the other side shrewdly greeted.

"What are you talking about? I'm saying something right now. Never mind, why'd you call me?"

"Oh, so you're _talking_ now." Aomine said. He seemed to be in a bad mood. Then again, Aomine was always in a bad mood.

"What do you mean 'now'?! I saw I got a phone call from you, and figured I'd answer. How did I do anything wrong?!" Kagami said.

Aomine didn't reply for a few seconds. "You said 'saw'."

"Yeah, I was practicing basketball, so I didn't pick up. It says I did, though, so my phone's probably messed."

Aomine was being oddly silent, since it took a few seconds for him to reply yet again. "... You sound normal."

Was that an _insult?_ "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Was Tetsu at school today?" Aomine interjected.

"Huh? Kuroko? No, why? Something happen?"

There was a long silence. If one had to write it, it would be filled with ellipses.

"I was calling you to confirm it... but I guess you don't know, huh..." Aomine muttered.

"Don't know what? Quit being so vague!" Kagami exclaimed in annoyance. No matter how many times he talked to him, just from hearing his voice, he was annoyed.

There was a long silence.

"Oh my _god,_ any year now, Aomi—"

"I got a call from Tetsu's parents. They told me he's dead."


	2. but even so

**II. but even so**

* * *

It wasn't any special day.

It wasn't as though Aomine had felt an ominous wind while he lay down on the roof, propping his head up with is his arm.

The breeze was nice—it reminded him of his first day at Teikou.

_'A day with skies so clear it was hard to believe it was spring'_

"Dai-chan! Practice is about to start. What are you doing slacking off here?" His pink-haired childhood friend huffed impatiently, one hand on her hip, the other wrapped around a clipboard pressing onto her chest. Both actions emphasized her curved figure.

Aomine wasn't paying attention to her, though, as he groaned.

"I thought that after the Winter Cup, you were going to be more dedicated, but this is just the same as before!" Momoi scolded.

"Ah, jeez, quit nagging." Aomine sat up and groaned. "It's fine if I skip _sometimes_, right?"

"Wro-ng! Kagami-kun practices even after practices! And then-"

"Fine, fine, I'll go. Does that make you any happier?" The power forward said sarcastically, raising his hands up in defeat.

Momoi simply smiled in response. As they were heading down the stairs, Aomine's phone started to ring.

"Your phone's ringing?" Momoi asked, clearly shocked. Normally, it would be _her_ phone ringing and asking for Aomine, since the only ones who knew Aomine's phone number were the other multicoloured prodigies and his parents. Even then, Aomine would scarcely pick up. It was simpler to call Momoi and tell her to hand the phone over to him.

Aomine glanced at the caller ID. _A private number?_ That was strange. As aforementioned, the only people who knew his number were the Generation of Miracles and Kuroko, so they should have been registered on his phone.

Aomine beckoned for Momoi to go on without him as he opened up the cellphone.

"Hello?" Aomine asked.

"... Hello, is this Aomine Daiki?" The voice on the other end was definitely masculine.

"Depends. Who's calling?" Aomine asked cautiously.

"This is... Kuroko Tetsuya's father." The man replied solemnly. He seemed to hesitate before saying his son's name.

But at that point, Aomine knew it was serious. His eyebrows furrowed in puzzlement. Just what... "Okay. Yeah, this is Aomine Daiki speaking."

"Tetsuya... always talked about you like you were his best friend back in middle school... he eventually talked less, but recently, he'd begun telling us again... so I figured you had a right to know this... you're Tetsuya's friend, right?" The voice seemed shaky at times, but evidently showed Kuroko's stoic nature.

"Um, yeah. Tetsu's my friend." It wasn't a lie, Aomine thought. Not exactly. Not technically. Probably. As long as Kuroko still considered _him_ a friend, after the Winter Cup...

"I see... well... Tetsuya has..." the subject seemed to be hard to talk about.

"Tetsuya has passed away."

With those words, Aomine's eyes widened, but his pupils shrank. What was he supposed to say? He wouldn't have been able to think of anything normally, but under this shock, he wasn't able to think _altogether_. He was sill processing bit by bit.

"Please, I don't wish for you to say anything. I just thought that Tetsuya would have liked to inform you." With that, the line went dead.

Though the call had ended, Aomine didn't move his cellphone from his ear. He was in shock.

But there was no way that could be true.

I mean, Kuroko couldn't be dead. It was impossible. He could go to Seirin and find his old shadow right away, standing next to his new light. Oh, but he'd probably have to look a lot, since he was still hard to notice.

That must have been it. Kuroko was hard to find—he must have even disappeared from his parents.

...Ah, who was he fooling?

Aomine was never the type to delude himself with his own words. At least, not on a topic like this. He cared, he really did. He cared more than anyone could imagine him caring. He was sad. The feeling felt far worse than losing a basketball game.

But he was more than shocked.

_They can't call Satsuki. _That was the first thought running through his head.

Yes, it was inconsiderate. He should have been grieving over Kuroko. But thinking about Momoi was loads easier than thinking about how Kuroko was. Normally, should it have been anyone else, he would have focused solely on that person. But this was...

He sprinted down the stairs like he would have if stairs were mandatory in a basketball game. He turned outside and ran towards the gym.

Using the amazing speed he was known for, he was in the doorway of the gym, panting.

"Oh, Aomine, great. Looks like you're already warmed up. Where's your gym clothes?" Imayoshi said in a teasing manner, but Aomine disregarded it.

"There you are! What took you so long? Who was it?" Momoi asked. Her smile guaranteed she didn't get the call.

"No one important. Lemme use your phone." He said.

She pulled it out of her picket and held it out to him. "Eh? Sure, but why...?"

He grabbed it from her. "Mine... ran out of battery. Couldn't finish the call. Also, change of plans. I'm not attending practice today, sorry. I'll come another time." With the brief explanation given, Aomine left.

"Ehhh?" Momoi was left perplexed as he left the gym. He was acting weird today.

Imayoshi's eyelids slid down halfway in an analytic manner. Even for Aomine, his behaviour was more erratic than usual. That much was obvious. But what had happened? Why was he being so polite? What did he need Momoi's phone for?

Aomine shut the door behind him and, in due time, received the call on Momoi's cell.

The introduction was the same, except Aomine deepened his voice and claimed he was 'Satsuki's father'. Yeah, that was believable enough, right/ Kuroko's father shouldn't have known Momoi's.

"I think _I _should tell Satsuki." Aomine said with his impersonation, "To make things easier."

"... I understand." Kuroko's father agreed.

"Yeah, my... condolences." Aomine found himself sickened when he heard that word come out of his mouth. No words were necessary for sympathy. And if they were, then it wasn't sympathetic in the first place. No words could describe such a feeling.

"Thank you. Good bye, then." His father hung up.

Aomine let out a deep sigh.

He needed to distract himself with something else.

Perhaps it really _was_ false. Kagami went to the same school as Kuroko, so if Kuroko went to school, it meant it would have to be a lie, right?

A horrible, cruel, twisted lie.

But even if he felt like bashing in the face of whoever came up with that disgusting lie, it was a better feeling than it actually being the truth.

So he decided to call Kagami to make sure of who it was.

* * *

Kise's week was going horribly, according to him. First, his email address was posted on a popular blog, forcing him to change email addresses. Then his manager called and said that one of the magazines they were sending pictures to declined them because the _colour hat_ he was wearing didn't go well with his jacket. Then he tried practicing with his recovering leg, and that was a debacle. And then Kasamatsu had hit him upside the head for overdoing his recovering leg with dunks and cuts and crossovers—again.

He figured that was the worst his week could get.

That was before he got the call, of course.

To cheer himself up, he could message the group chat for the Generation of Miracles—ah, but they would probably all just bully him and tell him to get serious.

Maybe he could organize a game. Injured or not, those were always fun, and sometimes he would get a handicap until he was healed.

Oh, and when he _was_ healed, when the day would come, he couldn't wait to see the looks on their faces when they played against his Perfect Copy.

So that sounded like a good idea.

Kise whipped out his phone.

[You: hey wanna have a match sometime? Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ]

[Midorimacchi: No.]

[Murasakibaracchi: too far too much of a bother.]

[Akashicchi: Ah, Rakuzan has quite a few tests this week, so my schedule is full at the moment... perhaps another time, Kise.]

[You: Akashicchi's the only one who replied nicely! u guys r cruel! ( ≧Д≦)]

[You: what about aominecchi? 1v1? maybe kurokocchi 2 (≧▽≦)]

Before he was able to see the bluenette's reply, his screen switched to the Incoming Call page.

A private number? It came from Tokyo, but who did he know in Tokyo that had a private number. Unless—

No! One of his fans got his number?! It wouldn't have been the first time, but to confirm his suspicions, he clicked the green button.

It was a feminine voice, as he expected. "...Is this... Kise Ryouta?"

"Um, yes. Listen, I'm not sure how you got my number, but you can't—"

"Tetsuya..." The voice croaked. Kise noticed something wrong with this girl's voice. "I got it... from... Tetsuya... Kuroko Tetsuya, my... son."

For a few seconds, Kise stopped moving while answering the call. It was dead silence.

Nothing could be heard.

No, just when he had finished processing the information given (not a fangirl, Kuroko's mom, slow, croaking voice), he heard something on the other line. He couldn't exactly make out what it was, but it was definitely _something._ Not speech, he could definitely conclude. A more definite sound. More than nothing.

But no. It was discernible now. And what he heard was more disturbing than if there had been no sound on the other line at all.

Yes, the voice was shaking, that much he could tell from the very start. But he didn't take note of it until he heard the next bit.

The sound of sobbing.

Crying.

"M-Mrs. Kuroko," he said with a perplexed, nervous smile that she couldn't see, "are you okay?"

"...I thought we... should tell his friends... his contacts on his phone, and..." Kise detected something strange on the other side of the phone. Something in the woman's voice he couldn't make clear.

_Or maybe he didn't _want _to make it clear._

_"When Tetsuya was... coming back home, he was crossing the street and..."_

Kise froze in spot completely, even if it was just for a second.

He could have sworn his blood turned cold.

**Kuroko had been hit by a bus while walking home.**

Then he tried to laugh it off.

"Whoa! Almost got me there! Who is this, Momoicchi? Which one put you up to this? This one wasn't funny, you guys! So mean!" He protested with a smile. "Nice try, though! April Fools Day is about to roll around—and I'm not _that_ stupid, thank you very much!" Kise pouted.

Silence.

He waited for Momoi to say something like, _"Aw, guys, he figured it out!"_ and the other person that put her up to it would go _"darn!_" and they'd all laugh it off. Then he'd go to Seirin and tell Kuroko his crazy tale of Momoi trying to turn him into a _real phantom_, and she would say sorry and stubbornly blame it on someone else, like Aomine.

More silence.

And then a sob.

On the other line of the phone, the woman choked on her words. "I can't... I can't."

The call was dropped, and Kise's smile disappeared.

* * *

Akashi had gotten the call, but did not react as the others had.

When receiving the news, the only words that were heard by Kuroko's parents were, "If you don't mind, could I please attend Kuroko's funeral?"

"Oh... of course, we should have invited all of you. It's on Wednesday. If you'd please, could you tell the others? We're not currently..." The male voice was much more stable than the female earlier, but Akashi could still detect some shakiness.

"Yes. Thank you very much." Akashi interrupted so that the father wouldn't have to say anymore. With those words, Kuroko's parents ended the call.

_That was detestable, Kuroko._

Yes, it was a trait Akashi absolutely loathed in a person—even if he hadn't come from a prestigious household, he would have hated it regardless, since it was a despicable feature to a person.

_Dishonesty_.

What was all that drivel about, 'no matter how many times, we can play over and over...'

But now, that was impossible. An ephemeral moment that had lasted, and, just like Kuroko's r̶o̶t̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶c̶o̶r̶p̶s̶e̶ c̶a̶r̶c̶a̶s̶s̶ body, his words were now in a place unbeknownst to him.

If Kuroko had gotten hit by a truck, there was no way he would be able to see his face again. Just the casket his body would be put in.

Yes.

He would never see Kuroko again.

So it goes.

_Everyone dies someday,_ Akashi thought, _Kuroko is no exception._

He glanced at his phone. Kise had messaged them earlier, but never received a reply from Aomine _or_ Kuroko.

It wasn't a surprise.

He closed the book he had been studying from moments before he received the call. He wouldn't be able to study like this. His thoughts were a bit of a jumble, and besides, above all else, he had to make plans for a trip to Tokyo.

* * *

Day by day, Murasakibara adorned the same expression on his face—one very simplistic. Half-lidded eyelids and was more than likely to have something in his mouth unless he was playing basketball.

But he was _not_ disabled. He could easily smile, or cry, or get angry if he wanted to.

It was just a bother.

So he didn't.

That phone call was enough to make a person with limited visible expressions to change, even if only momentarily.

But after the voice hung up, he _really_ thought about it.

In the end, he made a decision as he walked beside Himuro. Murasakibara hadn't cried. He hadn't gotten angry. He hadn't shown any deviation in his emotions. In fact, he plainly told Himuro, "Hey, Muro-chin. I got a call saying Kuro-chin was dead today."

Himuro immediately raised his head in shock and looked at Murasakibara in astonishment, before frowning in puzzlement. "Shouldn't you be more concerned?"

"Nah, it's probably a lie, anyway." Murasakibara said, though his voice came out slightly muffled as he had a strawberry-flavoured pocky wedged in between his gums and inner cheek.

"How can you be sure?" Himuro cooled down a bit. Murasakibara was always hard to read, so even reading his emotions through his speech was difficult.

"Mmm... 'cause Kuro-chin can't die." The taller of the two said plainly. "He said all of us would play again, over and over. It was really annoying. But Kuro-chin never lies to us. Even when it was obvious we'd disagree, he still said what he thought was the truth. Kuro-chin's that kind of passionate guy."

Himuro gave a questionable look. He could confirm with Kagami later. He'd start the conversation normally, and simply ask if Kuroko attended school that day.

"I see. So you care about him? What would you do if he actually died?" Himuro said.

Murasakibara frowned. "I don't like this question." He stated bluntly. "After all, like I just said, Kuro-chin can't die."

* * *

Midorima was the last person from the Generation of Miracles to receive the phone call.

But he didn't pick up.

From the same number later, he still did not pick up.

It was a private call from Tokyo. Aside from his family, a few members in his class, a few members on the basketball team, Kuroko, Takao, and Aomine (and Momoi), nobody from the vicinity had his phone number. And their caller IDs would have shown up under their name. Plus, the latter two he wouldn't want to speak to regardless, as only irritation would result from a conversation with _them__._

So it had to be some self-advertising company.

He wasn't the type to waste minutes to hear their annoying rubbish, and so he didn't bother to pick up.

It was only until later that he received a text. At first, he ignored it, but once the periodical buzz in his front right pocket had begun to feel like his own personal vibrator, he finally picked it up to tell them to shut up. He switched to the group titled 'Generation of Miracles + Kurokocchi', the chat named for the eponymous members. He looked at the phone. It was likely Kise.

[Akashi: Did anyone else receive a phone call from Tokyo earlier today?]

[Murasakibara: idk]

[Aomine: u got it 2?]

[Murasakibara: got a weird phone call tho]

[Akashi: Yes, I have, Aomine. Also, to Murasakibara, could you tell us what the person on this 'weird phone call' said, please?]

[Murasakibara: idk said kuro-chin was dead, so i hung up]

[Murasakibara: dont have caller id but not from tokyo prob]

[Akashi: What about you, Kise? Midorima?]

There was no replies from that point on.

Midorima had to push up his glasses at their odd choice of topic—a phone call saying Kuroko was dead. That was definitely a first.

But it didn't seem that unbelievable. He had also gotten a call... from Tokyo...

Light from his phone sending a glare off his glasses, he typed,

[Midorima: I'm not sure. I received two phone calls from Tokyo, but I didn't bother to pick it up. What's this about Kuroko being dead?]

_Akashi is typing..._

Midorima stared as that sentence disappeared off his screen, leaving his text message the last thing that was said.

Then it appeared again: _Akashi is typing..._

Then it stopped.

_Akashi is typing..._

In a red text bubble, Akashi's text appeared on the screen at last:

[Akashi: It's the truth.]

_Seen by everyone_

No replies followed.


	3. you never notice

**III. you never notice**

* * *

By the second day, Kagami realized Aomine was right.

He arrived late since his alarm didn't go off, but not only was Kuroko not there (again), but there was a pot of flowers lying on his desk.

That was his first indicator.

The second was the fact that a lot of people had the same crestfallen expression on their faces. Other than that, from whispers in the hallway, it was always the same topic.

"Morning announcements..."

"Yeah, that's horrible, isn't it?"

"Wonder how it happened..."

"Who was Kuroko again? Haha, I can't seem to remember!"

Kagami bit his lip at the last one, clearly angered. _He was your fucking classmate, shithead._

_He sat in this classroom with you._

_He was **here.**_

But he didn't dare say anything, because it wasn't like he was looking to get kicked off the basketball team.

But Kuroko _was_ _there_, too.

Kuroko seemed to be everywhere. Is this what happened when someone died? They just began to appear everywhere? That was so unlike the phantom, who, in the past, couldn't be found.

Now, wherever he looked, it was as though he was there.

Putting books on the shelves in the Library, sitting behind him in class, his silhouette trailing Kagami's in the hallway.

Speaking of silhouettes, isn't that what he said he was? No, no, not a silhouette. A shadow. A shadow to his light.

His. Not Akashi Seijurou, not Kise Ryouta, not even Aomine Daiki (at least, not anymore).

Haha, and in each of his memories, Kuroko had the same expression, with only small changes to each one.

The two missed calls must have come from Kuroko's parents, then. It had to be, because others rarely called.

After school, even though he was told by a forlorn Hyuuga that practice was cancelled, he didn't care. He still went over to the gym and practiced, as he always did. Because nothing was _that_ different, right?

His gym shoes sliding on the gym floors, the familiar feeling of rubber tracing over his fingertips, and the breeze from running up and down the court, only to jump at the end and slam the ball in.

He began running down the court—a fast break! He reached an arm forward to receive a pass on impulse, but then stopped.

Because the ball was still at the other end of the court, almost as though it were dribbling itself.

Thump.

_He's_

Thump.

_not_

Thump-thump.

_here to_

Thump-thump-thump.

_send you his_

thumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthummmp...

_passes anymore._

Kagami didn't say a word. He simply jogged over to the basketball, picked it up, and started dribbling back.

* * *

Kuroko noticed Kagami took a while longer than usual at the gym after school, even though he was unsupervised. Yeah, he remembered learning something like that in Health Class—a good way to relieve negative emotions was to exercise. It was the healthiest alternative. So really, Kuroko didn't mind if Kagami was trying to get over it.

Kuroko wasn't sure what compelled him to trail Kagami around all day and follow his normal routine. Did he want to see if people cared? Did he want to know how others were faring?

Mm, that didn't really seem the case, though...

Sitting on the wooden bench while waiting for Kagami to finish up, he wanted to get up and reach for the ball. He wanted send a Cyclone Pass straight at Kagami as he ran back and forth down the court.

Even if it was to be Kagami's opponent, even if he _would_ inevitably lose by a gigantic amount, he wanted to play.

But would it have even been any use? More than likely, his hands would go through the ball like they would in movies or multiple books.

Suddenly, a dog poked his head into the door and barked cheerily. Kagami's attention was diverted a bit faster, due to being nearly cynophobic. Kuroko looked in eyes that seemed to mirror his own.

"Ah, just Number Two, huh..." Kagami muttered, before furrowing his eyebrows. "Wait, why're you..."

"Eh? Kagami-kun, what're you still doing here?" The door opened wider, allowing Tetsuya's Doggy Double to rush in further and revealing Riko Aida, the club's manager.

"Just practicing." Kagami said tersely.

Normally, Aida would have frowned and told him to go home angrily, and that he was stupid for overworking.

_Normally._

Instead, she replied with, "Ah, I see."

"How about you?" Kagami asked, though he honestly couldn't have cared less. He shot another three.

"I was just walking Number Two." She said.

"This late?"

Seirin's coach didn't reply.

Interrupting the silence, the dog went up to the bench and started barking, even going as far as climbing onto the bench and barking at nothing.

Kuroko simply stared at the dog barking at him for a few seconds, as though surprised. Then he lightly smiled as a tear fell from his eyes.

He pet the dog, who seemed confused at Kuroko's odd reaction. He was used to being pet with a deadpanned expression. Sometimes a small, brief smile occurred, but things were definitely different this time. It stopped barking and cocked his head at Kuroko.

Kagami and Aida both knitted their eyebrows at the dog's odd antics.

"What's gotten into him?" Kagami asked.

"No clue. He wasn't like this before, though... Number Two, come!"

Seirin's pet looked at Aida, then back at Kuroko. Kuroko beckoned for it to come to who was calling it, and its tail stopped wagging. It went back towards Riko, but looked at Kuroko several times while doing so, each time Kuroko telling the dog to go on ahead.

"Well, it's getting late, so I'll see you tomorrow, probably... but we might not start club activities for a while..." Riko said, getting quieter with each word.

"Okay. See you." Kagami practically disregarded Riko's words.

Kuroko smiled at the dog as he left with Aida, and Kagami took it he should probably leave, too.

After that, like usual, he went over to Maji Burger, Kuroko behind him.

That day, Kagami also bought a Vanilla Milkshake.

He didn't drink it, and instead left it and a single burger on the table.

* * *

Kuroko found that trailing Kagami held no results, and instead he decided to see how the others were dealing with the news, which was how Kuroko ended up at Touou Academy, looking for Aomine, the Generation of Miracle closest to his home.

Naturally, there were no questions asked as Kuroko walked through the hallways. Not because of his usual miraculous misdirection, but instead because they _couldn't _notice him.

After wandering throughout halls, he noticed Aomine wasn't there.

But Momoi was.

He found Momoi during break with her friends, all of them laughing or smiling. Kuroko furrowed his eyebrows. Was this the way Momoi coped? Acting happy?

No, Kuroko could tell: She didn't know. She didn't know that Kuroko was gone. She had no clue.

Knowing that there was no further reason to stay at Touou, he decided to go to Aomine's house.

After Middle School, Aomine was one of the Miracles to stay at his current address (actually, both him and Midorima were the _only_ two, now that Kuroko was gone). He didn't move, like everyone else, so Kuroko knew exactly where his house was.

He stared at the doorknob to the Ace's house. Could he even open it? Or would his hand just pass right through? Besides, could he even go inside? That _would_ classify as trespassing...

Who cared.

Kuroko decided to try his luck, and fortune was in his favour, since he was able to open the door like he would normally. The second his shoes scraped the tile flooring, the familiar scent of Aomine's house rushed at him.

He hadn't been to Aomine's house since their second year at Teikou, and though so much had changed since then, it seemed the house was oblivious to the differences. It remained the same. The hard, turpentine floorboards, the calm atmosphere the house had... nothing had changed.

Kuroko took off his shoes out of habit (or maybe it was for another reason... what do you call it... the nostalgia?) and began to ascend the stairs to go to Aomine's room. Turning the second doorknob, he found Aomine still sleeping.

The shadow stared at his old light for a minute, before frowning like he would have if it were Kagami. "Honestly, Aomine-kun, you can't sleep just because I'm gone."

Obviously, as Kuroko expected, there was no response from Aomine, and he continued his slumber, as no voice could be heard.

Kuroko looked at Aomine's phone.

_3:12 PM_

Kuroko sighed. Was he planning on sleeping all day? He opened it up and saw the Generation of Miracles group chat Kise had created, where Akashi had tried to tell everyone what had happened.

And, since it was Akashi, who had no reason to lie, everyone who bothered to think about it could realize that he had no reason to lie.

Kuroko looked at Aomine, who was still sleeping. Frowning in discontent, he suddenly had an idea.

He plugged in Aomine's phone to the speakers and scrolled down.

Ah, there it was. The song that had been all the rage while they were in Teiko. Back in the day, he and Aomine would have had it play in the background while they worked on their homework. A hard rock song, with heavy bass and electric guitar for the intro. Kuroko set it to be the alarm tone.

He put the speakers on full blast and set the alarm to 3:14 PM.

After that, he took a seat in Aomine's chair (which was _supposed_ to be used for working or studying, but don't forget that this _was_ Aomine), and he waited.

When it went off, Aomine didn't just wake up. He scrambled to get up and found that he was too close to the edge, so his knee and hand he had placed for stability fell off the side of the bed, taking the rest of his body with him. Even his protests of "What the _fuck_" were drowned out by the sounds of the alarm.

Kuroko smiled at Aomine's spectacular reaction. He even let out an extra, heavier breath of air. A half-laugh.

Aomine looked confused for a few seconds while he stood up, and with one of his palms covering his left ear, he reached his right to turn down the volume.

Thank _god_ his parents weren't home. That would have taken a lot of explaining to do, especially considering Aomine didn't remember setting the alarm _himself_. _Or_ plugging it in.

He passed Kuroko as he unplugged his phone and took it with him as he sat on the edge of his bed.

That song...

He _never_ played it. Not since Teikou. Not because he didn't like it, but because it just got old. Aomine had practically forgotten about it.

No. The timing, the volume, and the _song_ (_especially_ the song) screamed at him that all of it couldn't _just_ be a coincidence.

He groaned at his rude awakening, and squinted at the light emitting from his cellphone.

Though it was impossible, he opened up his phone and began typing.

[Aomine: Tetsu, what the fuck.]

He stared at it for a few seconds, before deciding that it was pointless to send.

But if things like the supernatural existed, then Aomine was sure that Kuroko would _have_ to be behind this one.

Oh boy, then he technically would have been 'scared of his own shadow'. Wouldn't have been the first time, but...

He closed his phone and thought for a second.

Well, even if things like the supernatural didn't exist, and Kuroko really _wasn't_ there anymore, Kuroko probably wouldn't have wanted Aomine to lie down in bed all day.

_Tetsu..._

Aomine covered his forehead with his palms for a second.

Then he stood up and reached in his dresser.

That was enough for Kuroko.

The phantom smiled before leaving the room, deciding to wait downstairs for the power forward.

After Aomine came downstairs, he started heading for the door. Curious, Kuroko began to follow him.

Past his house, across the stream, through a familiar park. Kuroko realized the destination only when they arrived at it: The convenience store near Teikou.

He only bought one popsicle, but bought one none the less, and continued walking, though without a clear destination this time. Aomine sighed while looking up at the sky.

He never got to say thank you for anything that Kuroko'd done.

He never was able to tell him anything.

And now, he never would be.

"Tetsu." Aomine said to the sky that mirrored Kuroko's own hair and eyes, "You're a real asshole sometimes."

The voice was bittersweet.

Kuroko didn't really mind.

"I know you don't mean that, Aomine-kun." Kuroko said.

Kuroko took a seat beside Aomine, who was still eating his popsicle.


	4. how precious they are

**IV. how precious they are**

* * *

The next person he decided to visit was Midorima, though it was only out of convenience that Midorima's school was close to home, as well.

Since Kuroko had already spent half of the day with Aomine, he headed over to the Legendary King high school in order to see Midorima.

Again, traversing past people wasn't a problem, now that he couldn't be seen or heard. The atmosphere at Shutoku was oblivious to everything. Their loss during the Winter Cup, Kuroko's death, nothing seemed to deter the school.

And Kuroko was assured that Midorima was there, since Midorima was the kind of person strict to routine. Kuroko didn't expect his death to shake Midorima to the core, making it so that the unnaturally green-haired boy would never interact with anyone ever again.

When he found Midorima, he was in the gym, practicing alone while everyone else had left... no, not alone.

While Kuroko was coming in, he spotted an eavesdropper, who he was able to identify as Shutoku's point guard, Takao Kazunari, with surreptitious behaviour outside the gym doors.

Kuroko wasn't sure of _why_ Takao was there, but he easily walked past him.

Though Takao didn't notice him earlier, he suddenly turned his head to where Kuroko was and made a confused expression before returning his attention to the Shooting Guard.

Kuroko gave a weak smile at the idea that perhaps Takao used his Hawk Eye to see him―but no, there was no way that would work, since he was certain that no matter how miraculous the Hawk Eye was, it was limited to the living.

Even though it was small, he found a lingering sensation of happiness.

Then, he noticed why Takao had been watching Midorima with such an odd expression.

Midorima's shot hit the rim.

It spun around for a moment, before reaching the tipping point. And it didn't go in the net.

Takao's eyebrows furrowed. He wasn't stupid. Something was wrong with Midorima, but being the stupid, secretive idiot, he wouldn't just tell him what was wrong.

Sometimes his amazing partner was so _ridiculous_.

But he figured Midorima _knew_ why his shots weren't going in. That was why he was practicing on his own. No one could see him miss. There was no way his pride would allow it.

Still, Takao decided to try his luck. He fully opened the gym doors, and came in, a more concerned expression on his face than usual. "Is something wrong?"

Midorima pushed up his glasses, something he commonly did when annoyed. "Were you here the whole time?"

"Huh? Uh, well, I was here long enough to see that shot," Takao explained, "but anyway, something up?"

As both Takao and Kuroko expected, Midorima rep_lied,_ "Nothing."

Takao figured being too serious would be awkward (especially if nothing really _was_ wrong, and Midorima just so happened to miss the one-in-a-millionth shot), and so he smirked widely. "Aw, c'mon, just tell me! No need to be such a tsundere all the time. If something's up, just say so!"

"I'm not being _tsundere._" Midorima denied, just as Takao expected, but his tone of voice wasn't as easily discernible. It was obvious that Midorima was annoyed, but somehow, it seemed different. It wasn't the usual comically serious routine where he would roll his eyes in a way that practically read, 'you're a jerk'. It was... something else. "Would it be so hard to believe that something was wrong, and I just didn't _feel like telling you?_"

Midorima flinched, and momentarily avoided his eyesight. He then faced up as though nothing had happened, and walked past Takao. "Excuse me."

The way it was said sounded more like an order than anything.

Takao _knew_ he was annoying. Hell, it was as though he _lived_ to annoy the superstitious idiot. He figured Midorima would get mad at him properly _one_ day for it, but he didn't think it'd be like _that. _

Furthermore, Takao didn't understand why Midorima had been so defensive after his show of assertiveness, but then realized it.

_"Would it be so hard to believe that something was wrong, and I just didn't feel like telling you?"_

Midorima had just unintentionally admit that something **_was wrong._**

"Shin-Midorima!" Takao called out. Though the purpose had been not to annoy him further, Midorima didn't expect to be called by his first name from Takao _ever_, and turned towards him in a mixture of surprise and his sustained annoyance. After a moment of realization, he turned back and continued leaving.

Apparently as soon as he was out of sight, he had started sprinting, because as Takao looked out the door, there was no sign of him, nor any footsteps to have been heard.

Kuroko, who had watched the entire scene unveil, looked at his phone.

And he called Midorima.

While Takao was searching for Midorima, he heard his familiar ringtone go off in the hallway beside him. Before he was able to turn the corner, however, he heard Midorima's voice pick up whoever was on the other line and called out, "Kuroko...?!"

Takao himself was both confused and shocked at how... raw it sounded... and... it sounded... rather desperate?

But moments after Midorima opened it, the call ended.

Midorima moved the phone away from his ear, and after a few moments, Takao came in.

"What happened?" Takao asked. He couldn't see Midorima's face, as it was turned the other way.

"Nothing."

"... Seriously, wh―"

"It's _nothing._"

Though he wouldn't say it, Takao had begun to think that Midorima had been getting better at vocalizing his feelings after the Winter Cup. "Shin-chan, c'mon, you're always like this! If something's wrong, just _say_ so."

...

He couldn't blame Takao though. Because Takao didn't know anything.

Which would make him an_ idiot._

_Insensitive and an idiot._

_A deadly combination._

"_How many times do I have to tell you it's nothing for you to believe it's nothing?_"

Midorima's voice was seething with frustration.

A voice Takao had never heard from him.

A voice that immediately put a silence to everything.

Even the pinpricks of sound someone would hear in the distance had completely vanished, leaving the two in silence.

Not even one thousand pages of ellipses could serve as advocates for the sound (or lack thereof) in the hallway.

Then, Midorima spoke.

"... It really is nothing." He lied. "... If you'd excuse me."

Midorima walked away.

Takao did not chase after him.

and Kuroko could not find him.

Midorima didn't pick up any of his calls, though Kuroko knew Midorima had gotten them, as his screen told him the call was dropped each time.

Kuroko waited an entire day, and then called him again the following day. Still, there was no reply. And though a rarity in itself, even when Kuroko went to Shutoku the next day, Midorima wasn't there. He had called in absent.

While Kuroko wanted to visit Midorima, he also felt that Midorima needed time to cool down.

If only he was able to communicate with them. As he was now, the most he could do was leave and answer calls, which would always have no voice.

Instead of haunting Midorima, he decided to move onto the next Miracle. The yellow one.

* * *

Kise really, in all honesty, hadn't wanted to go to basketball practice the next day.

Actually, he didn't want to attend _school._

He didn't want to see any of his bullying seniors (even if it _was_ just a joke), he didn't want to see any girls walking over to him, and he didn't want to talk to anyone. Everything had changed in the course of one phone call, and his seniors wouldn't be able to tell. Nobody would notice.

Maybe things were better like that, though. Maybe he should have just forgotten about Kuroko...

But still, how could you forget someone who gave you so much?

And then if anyone else realized that he _wasn't_ okay, though, that would give him hell. He would be asked questions, and people wouldn't look at him the same again. They'd pity him. Even on the court, things wouldn't be the same.

So no matter what, it was a catch-22 situation.

"Oi, Kise!" Kasamatsu called out. Kise was forced out of his thoughts, and on instinct, lifted up his hands to catch the basketball that had nearly taken his head off a second ago. "What're you doing, slacking off?! Just 'cause there was morning practice doesn't mean you're allowed to fall asleep, idiot!"

Kuroko saw Kise smiling, grinning like an idiot like he usually would.

"Sorry!" Kise yelled, sending the ball back, though it was nearly too far forward, had it not been for Kasamatsu's speed.

"What did I just say-"

"Aaah! S-Sorry, sorry, I'm really tired!"

Kasamatsu glared at the blonde before restarting the drill.

Kuroko frowned. He hadn't expected Kise to react like this.

No, now that he thought about it, what _did_ he expect Kise to act like?

It was almost as if Kise hadn't gotten the call, but Kuroko was certain he did. Even if he had dropped it, _everyone_ had seen Akashi's text.

Now that Kuroko actually bothered thinking about it, this was how Kise acted. Even when Kise was sad, or angry, he preferred to put on a happy facade.

"Kise-kun, you can't do that." Kuroko said.

Kise turned Kuroko's direction, but before the blonde could fully register the sound he heard, a ball nailed him straight in the cheek.

"I _told_ you not to slack off!" Kasamatsu exclaimed.

Kise stayed on the ground for a second.

"...Can you hear me? Can you hear me, Kise-kun?" Kuroko asked, but there was no response from him.

Kuroko noticed Kise's facial expression then. Kise had a scowl. It was very unfitting for him, and it almost seemed that Kise wasn't breathing.

He couldn't hear him.

Kise quickly looked up, his fake smile firmly plastered onto his face, like makeup to mask someone's true appearance. It quickly turned into one of pain. "Owww, senpai! That hurt!"

"Maybe if you were paying _attention,_ it wouldn't have happened! That's the third time, Kise! Anyway, it's not like you need your face to be all handsome anyway." His senpai scolded.

"Eh, that's so harsh-wait, did you just admit I'm handsome?" Kise joked, only for Kasamatsu's palm to be reacquainted with the side of Kise's head.

That didn't hurt as much as Kuroko's-

Stop.

Don't think about it.

Don't think about _him_.

Don't think don't think don't think don't think.

His attempts at avoiding anger made Kise tense up.

Even if it was unintentional, Kise sent an extremely hard pass over to Kasamatsu, who fumbled as it hit the edge of his hand. If he had been expecting it, Kasamatsu could have probably caught it, but as he was off-guard, the basketball ended up going past the lines.

"Kise..." Kasamatsu glowered, before noticing that Kise still hadn't been paying attention. But he was lying about being tired, since that would have made his passes weaker.

While he was about to scold him for the _third time_ that day, he sensed something... _different. _A different atmosphere around Kise. It was similar to when Kise would finally get serious when playing basketball, except... different.

"Kise."

"A-Ah..." His eyes widened as he saw Kasamatsu, and realized just how hard he threw the basketball to his upperclassman. With a hurried apology, "S-Sorry!", he vigorously shook his hands in the air as if to try to wash away his mistakes.

But then he properly saw that Kasamatsu was not angry. The point guard had a rather serious but stern expression on his face. "Kise, go take a breather."

"E-Eh?! But I'm _fine_ now, senpai! I was seriously just tired!" Kise complained.

"Kise," Kasamatsu repeated, but in a more commanding tone, "go take a breather."

He clearly understood how unusually serious his upperclassman was being, and noticed he couldn't pull the boke and tsukkomi banter the two usually would, and Kise made a sound of annoyance before leaving.

Kasamatsu, for the first time, noticed Kise's momentary change in personality, and his scowl deepened.

... He definitely wasn't _fine_.

Kuroko followed Kise outside, and saw Kise just sit down.

Kuroko knew Kise wasn't the type who should deal with his emotions by himself. Not for _this_, at least.

But Kuroko couldn't do anything but watch. He could speak, but his woulds wouldn't reach. He could reach out, but it wouldn't be felt.

So he just watched.

Kise, while walking around aimlessly, received a text message in the chat with the Miracles and Kagami. Kuroko looked over his shoulder to see what had happened. The text bubble was surrounded in red.

[Akashicchi: Kuroko's funeral will be held in two days on Wednesday, April 1st. I'll send the address now. We're all invited to attend.]

Another link to Google Maps popped up shortly after, revealing a place that wasn't too far from where Teiko was. Kise wondered if that, too, was all meticulously planned.

_Seen by Kise, Aominecchi and Kagamicchi._

Kise didn't reply yet again. He headed back to the gym, and left his phone on the bench.

Once Kise was gone, Kuroko messaged the group.

Whenever Kuroko tried to communicate with anyone, they would never reply, and it never said it was seen, which forced him to resign to loneliness each time. He could always call, but whatever he wanted to say wouldn't―or rather―_couldn't_ be heard.

[Kise: I'd appreciate it if you came.]

Kuroko closed Kise's phone after that, hoping they could see at least Kise's texts, and followed the Small Forward to the gym, leaving Kise's phone on the bench, next to his bag.

"Ka-sa-ma-tsu-sen-pai!" Kise drew out the syllables in his senior's name for emphasis, "Like I said, I'm _fine. _I was just tired!"

Kasamatsu remained uncharacteristically undeterred. "Come back tomorrow."

"But!"

Kasamatsu finally gave a more angry and annoyed expression and said, "Listen to your seniors for once! And you'd _better_ be in top shape tomorrow, or else."

Kise knew that there would be no arguing with him at this point, but he didn't want to leave. At that point, Kaijou's court was the only place where nothing was changed. Nobody _knew_ that anything was wrong.

Still, Kise was forced to leave for the day.

While walking, he heard his phone ding.

Annoyed at the person who messaged him (which was kind of ironic in a way, as Kise was usually tormenting the _rest_ of the Miracles with short but numerous messages), he looked over at his phone, seeing it was just his anal-retentive manager for the modeling company, reminding him that he had a photo shoot coming up.

But what caught his eye was not the photo shoot, it was the group chat.

_I'd appreciate it if you came?_ Kise thought. He was certain he didn't write that, but there was still one reply following his text.

[Akashicchi: Who is this?]

Of course. Of _course_ Akashi would've known it wasn't him.

[Kise: it wasnt me.]

[Akashicchi: Yes, I can tell. You don't use the pronoun of 'boku'. You use 'ore'. That, and your spelling skills during texts don't match up with that one.]

Normally, Kise would have said that Akashi was implying he had horrible spelling skills, but he wasn't exactly in the mood.

[Kise: but no 1 else could use my phone when it was sent]

...

_It wasn't me, _Kise thought.

_But if it wasn't me, who else could it be?_


	5. everything they've done for you

**IV. everything they've done for you**

* * *

Kuroko was alone when his phone received a text message. Though it wasn't specifically for him. (Of course not. He was dead. Who was stupid enough to text a dead person and expect a response?) It was in the chat Kise had created with all the Generation of Miracles.

[Akashi: I've arrived in Tokyo.]

[Aomine: y]

Aomine's grammar was impeccable as always.

[Akashi: What else? Kuroko's funeral, of course.]

[Kuroko: You don't have to come]

[Aomine: oh]

Like always, his message was never read, but someone would post shortly after, proving that they should have read it. Kuroko would have immediately considered it ridiculous, but had come to grips with the fact he was a ghost. Things weren't normal anymore.

Kuroko tapped on Akashi's message, and it gave him Akashi's approximate location.

And it wasn't very hard to do, as the only place Akashi could have stayed in in the area indicated was the _huge hotel._

That was how Kuroko ended up at the doors of the said hotel. Although he had gone all the way there, he had no clue which floor Akashi was on.

Kuroko thought about it in the lobby for a few moments. He wished he was able to _tell_ Akashi to meet him in a certain place, but his texts would not be read, and his calls could not be heard.

As he was giving himself a personal tour of the hotel (though unable to enter locked rooms), while passing the kitchen, he heard someone say, "Room 9-4, tofu soup!"

Kuroko looked over. Actually, Akashi's favourite food was tofu soup. Still, he wasn't that superstitious (despite the fact that _he, himself_ was a ghost). He would have dismissed until he noticed the room number.

Floor 9, Room 4.

During Akashi's days at Teiko, everyone who had joined before Nijimura, their former captain, resigned from his position, knew that number 4 was the jersey number of the Captain. Thus, after Nijimura resigned, Akashi had received it. But before becoming captain, Akashi adorned the number 9.

9-4.

Player to Captain.

Though it could have been a mere coincidence, or Kuroko dragging out a question, or drawing such a unlikely conclusion simply for his wish to meet Rakuzan's captain, Kuroko followed the man with a food cart heading up the elevator.

Floor 9.

And he walked to Room 4.

Knocking on the door, the person carrying the cart came in, Kuroko entering behind it.

"Your tofu soup is here." He announced.

"Ah, thank you." A familiar, regal voice spoke in response, not taking his red eyes from the glare of the monitor for even a second.

The person who brought his soup up simply gave a curt nod of the head and left the way he came in. If the person who ordered the food hadn't been who he was looking for, Kuroko would have followed him. But it was undeniably him.

Kuroko looked over at Akashi, whose eyes were half-lidded in thought.

It was that sharp, analytic gaze he always had when playing a game of shogi or basketball. His posture wasn't perfect since it didn't need to be, but even when relaxing, Akashi still emitted a regal demeanor.

Only the tapping and clicking of Akashi's laptop could be heard.

Kuroko peered over the red haired boy's shoulder to try and see what he was doing, and saw a website displaying countless chandeliers.

_Chandeliers?_ Kuroko frowned. Akashi then switched tabs to rentable and buyable venues. It looked like a long, boring, and complicated process.

Kuroko himself didn't exactly understand what Akashi was hoping to achieve in buying all that. Was that his way of coping? Excessive buying? Then Akashi flipped to his email tab. In his inbox was an email that contained a list the redhead kept looking at for reference to his online purchases.

No, Akashi wasn't coping by excessively buying things. It didn't seem like his former teammate was doing anything unusual to him, either. He wasn't coping at all.

Though Kuroko felt irked that others weren't moving on or being happy simply for the reason of his death that they _had_ to get over someday, he expected that actually seeing his teammate move on would have been best.

It wasn't as though Akashi was in a denial phase since he went as far as to _notify_ everyone of Kuroko's funeral, but he also wasn't doing anything different.

Kuroko swallowed hard. This hurt him even more. It was as if he didn't even matter to Akashi.

Then again, it wasn't as though he thought he was so special that he expected that, upon his death, the seasons would stop changing, or the grass would stop growing, or the stars would stop shining or anything. But he at least expected everyone to mourn.

It wasn't _unexpected_, either. He didn't expect Akashi to break down in tears or cry for days or manage to deal with his death in every negative way and he didn't _want_ Akashi to cry, or be in denial, or create destructive tendencies or anything.

But he didn't want _nothing._

He didn't want anyone, not even Akashi, to move on so fast that it seemed as though he really had lived a life as their phantom sixth man.

And that hurt more than anything.

He wasn't going to make him cry, either. Maybe him moving on so quickly was for the best, even if it _did _hurt. As though a true emperor, one death did not affect him.

Gah...

Kuroko had no reason to stay, but just as he was about to leave, Akashi stood up and looked straight at him, and then reached straight out to him, almost as if to caress his cheeks. Kuroko simply stared, wide-eyed and speechless. Even if it was behaviour he would have darted away from normally, if Akashi _could_ touch him...

Akashi's arms reached past him and to the bowl of tofu soup on the table Kuroko was sitting in front of.

Kuroko sighed. Of course that wasn't how it worked. Akashi moved over to a couch, wary to sit on the bed while eating hot food. Kuroko simply watched the Emperor blow on his petite spoon and daintily sip the liquid that sat on it, without a single drop spilling or a single sound of a slurp heard.

It was eerily silent. There _was_ a ghost sitting on Akashi's bed, after all.

Kuroko decided to leave, knowing there was nothing more to do. But before he did...

The phantom moved the touchpad on Akashi's laptop and navigated over to open Word, and wrote a small phrase.

_I__t was nice knowing you, Akashi-kun._

_-Kuroko Tetsuya_

Though mildly surprised he was actually able to type anything, Akashi didn't seem to notice random keys being pressed on his laptop, since it wasn't facing Akashi's direction and blocked by the monitor.

Kuroko needed to attract Akashi's attention, somehow...

He pushed the digital clock on Akashi's bedside closer to the edge. However, Akashi, who had seen movement out of his peripheral vision, tore his eyes away from his soup for his scarlet eyes and the clock instantly became rooted to the desk. It wouldn't move at all.

So that was how it worked.

Still, Kuroko was glad at how much of a perfectionist Akashi was, since he still went over to fix the horrible angle the clock was in. While he did so, his eyes caught sight of the computer. When had he opened word...?

He moved over to check it and froze.

* * *

In truth, Akashi didn't want to run away anymore.

Still, he had to stand straight. The back that anyone had thought would have collapsed retained straight, high, bold, and reflected a confident figure of himself despite the pain in his chest that almost dragged him to asphyxiation.

This had happened once before. This was only a repeat, right? Shouldn't he have learned from the first time?

Yes, he should have learned from his mother. The one who was there for him, always.

The expectation back then was not to cry. He w̶a̶s̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶o̶w̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶, didn't want to, either.

But as his eyes settled on the small, size eleven calibri black font, he just stared at the screen, frozen in shock, feet ramrod to the ground. The whole world tipped off its axis.

No, no, he couldn't cry! Don't cry, don't cry!

_I didn't want to think about this, Tetsuya._

_I was actually... quite relieved when you beat me, Kuroko... and yet, you... you... _

_Why did this have to appear on my screen?! Out of all people, of all times. Besides, w̶e̶ I can't believe ghosts exist. It's illogical. Stupid!_

_You **had** to ruin it! You _**_dared_**_ to ruin it! You **had** to!_

_Urgh..._

The rough feeling reappeared in the back of his throat, as though he was sick.

If it _was_ a hacker (which Akashi kind of both hoped and didn't hope it was) then Akashi couldn't work. It wasn't like he wanted to, anyway. He would just have to notify his father, somehow...

No, he couldn't notify his father. He'd have to find another way...

But he couldn't tear his eyes from the computer.

He saw his eyesight blur.

_No, no, no, no, no._ He tilted his head upwards in hope that his tears would just _stay in_. As though they would just sink away.

And they did. They eventually dried and were re-absorbed by Akashi's eyes. But upon looking back at the screen, they became wet again.

_It's nothing. _He had told his father that too. He had calmly told him how it was Kuroko's funeral, one of his friends' deaths. And since he had extra time, he was able to go on the condition of planning the banquet his family was planning, regardless of where he was.

And he wanted to swallow back up his words. It was definitely something.

Kuroko was leaving him behind. No matter how hard he ran, no matter how fast he was praised to be, the ground moved far too slowly under his feet for him to catch up to Kuroko.

And he faded from sight, leaving him behind. He couldn't see Kuroko anymore. Not his blank teal eyes, not his smile, his tears, the laugh he had never heard... he didn't even have a chance to give a goodbye.

Like Akashi had predicted though, no matter how much he tried to deny it, no matter what time, he felt a pillar of support had dropped on top of him. Leaving him with cuts and bruises and scars that may or may not _ever_ heal.

_I don't **need** feelings. I don't **want **__feelings._

Yes, he knew he couldn't turn back the clock, no matter how absolute he was.

Just like the first time, his surroundings blurred.

He closed his laptop and moved it to the corner of the bed, and practically plopped himself down on the cotton sheets, forearm on forehead.

_Stop. Relax. Crying is a sign of weakness. Pitiful. Pointless._

Even though he told himself that, he moved his arm above his eyes, so that if he did cry, perhaps the cotton could suck all the water up before it came out. Then perhaps it never happened.

Kuroko didn't matter. Not really, he supposed. After all, he was just another person. Compared to the amounts of death in the world, that was nothing...

_Shut up... I don't care anymore! Damn..._

Akashi's breath started to shudder and came out in gasps, and a frown carved creases across his face.

* * *

Kuroko had seen Akashi cry once. During the Winter Cup. But that was nothing. Those tears were based off of frustration, loss, but happiness and relief.

This was different. Oh so different.

He was crying because Kuroko was gone. And Kuroko's first thought of Akashi simply getting over or not caring was wrong.

Akashi took a few short involuntary breaths right at the end of taking a deeper inhalation breath before releasing.

_Yes, we can never turn our clock back around. _Kuroko thought. _Though I know it, I'll..._

Akashi was crying because Kuroko wasn't there anymore.

...

Kuroko simply stared, then lay down on the bed next to Akashi, facing the ceiling like Akashi was.

"But I _am_ here, Akashi-kun. I'm just not allowed to tell you that. I've tried." Kuroko gave a sad smile towards the ceiling. "I'll always be here for everyone."


	6. the impact they had

**vi. the impact they had**

* * *

The weather did not bend or change for Kuroko's funeral. It was the exemplar of a weather report in April—partly cloudy, but mostly sunny. The kind where kids would go to the park and play. Not cold, not hot. The quiet, cooler zephyrs of the day were set gently rustling the flowers the mourning people carried, with few petals of a chinese chrysanthemum falling to the ground.

None of them particularly wanted to be there.

Akashi maintained his calm gaze—some would have called him heartless for showing such a maintained composure at the _funeral of his own friend,_ but even there, nobody dared. His back was straight, and looked as though it could carry mountains. He had come because he wanted to respect Kuroko's farewell.

_Don't go._

Nobody could exactly understand Kise Ryouta's reaction, or why he had even come. Everyone seemed shocked that he wasn't bawling like a baby. Especially in the one scenario that they had expected him to, and wouldn't have judged him for it. They had all done their fair share of crying. Though, even Kise didn't know what made him come here. Maybe it was because Kurokocchi wanted him to. Maybe.

But this wasn't Kurokocchi, right? I mean, they couldn't see his embalmed body inside the coffin in front of him, so, really, there was no way of telling for sure this was _him_, right?

_No, just don't go._

Midorima had his eyes closed calmly, in silent prayer. That was the only thing he could do now.

The lucky item for Aquarius was a radio, and that was exactly what Midorima had brought, along with the citron flowers. If anybody had asked why, that would be his reply.

He came only because it was necessary.

_But still, don't go yet._

Aomine's mouth was pressed into a thin line.

He came because Tetsu would've wanted him to, no matter what... right?

_Even though I'm here, don't go._

Kagami looked absentmindedly in different directions. _Anywhere_ but the coffin in front of him. Still, it was hard to focus on anything _but_ the funeral when everyone around you was clad in white.

Why had he gone, again? Right. Because if he could attend, then perhaps he'd get over him easier. Still, his thoughts betrayed his actions.

_... Don't go._

Murasakibara, the only one Kuroko hadn't been able to visit, seemed to not even pay attention to the funeral. Not the white outfits around him, coffin before him, people near him, person speaking to them.

Or, more rather, he didn't want to.

_You don't have to go._

Everyone's thoughts aligned, which was rare between the five of them. They were perfectly different archetypes of each other. Similar at times, but never the same.

Kuroko stood behind all of them, his blank stare gazing at all of them.

After this, would they still come together? Would they still get along like they used to? Would they continue playing, even when he wasn't there?

Everyone was simply idling around since the funeral procession itself had finished, but the air was heavy. The smell of incense was foul. The food was the only thing that was fresh.

And the lack of speech confirmed it, to Kuroko. This would undoubtedly be the last time the Generation of Miracles met. Other than Akashi, Kuroko doubted they would meet altogether again.

In fact, he doubted they would even have met _here._ The only reason he could tell was to respect his death.

Kuroko pulled out his useless phone (unless Sudoku counted) and clicked on the group chat.

No, just this once.

Just this once, he wanted the message to reach them. He didn't care if he was a ghost or not. He wanted his messages, just like his current state of existence, to transcend science and the rules of reality.

He didn't care if ghosts weren't allowed to send text messages. He just wanted people to read them.

[Kuroko: Thank you for coming. I think this is goodbye.]

_Message sent._

As always, the message sent.

_Please._

Kuroko waited before closing his phone and inserting it back into his pocket.

As expected... wishful thinking wasn't enough, was it?

Just as he was about to leave, he heard a ding come from Aomine and Murasakibara's pockets.

Aomine gave a confused look and muttered an, "Ah, sorry," to the people around him before checking it.

_I forgot it was on,_ Murasakibara thought, going to turn it off.

But then, Aomine's eyes widened. He walked away from the group of people.

Akashi looked at Aomine skeptically. Assuming the timing was more than coincidence, he looked at Murasakibara. "What is it?"

Murasakibara shrugged before opening his phone to turn it off, but before he could, his eyes skimmed over the message.

[Kuroko messaged Generation of Miracles~ o((*^▽^*))o]

"It's Kuroko." Murasakibara said, shocked.

His statement caused all the Miracles to turn towards him. Midorima narrowed his eyes. "Does it look like _anyone_ is in the mood for this right now?"

"But it's right here. Check yours. It's in the Generation of Miracles chat Kise-chin created." Murasakibara said. Though he usually would have sounded indifferent to the situation, his voice fluctuated from the usual dull monotone it carried.

As Kuroko speculated, Akashi's, Midorima's, Kise's, and Kagami's phones had all been turned off for the funeral.

"I see," Akashi said. He initially had his eyes closed peacefully, but when he opened them, they had the same intimidating—no, downright _scary _look to them. "So, which one of us has inherited Kuroko's phone?"

Nobody knew what entailed when Akashi _found_ the person with Kuroko's phone, but they all understood it wouldn't be pleasant.

Ding.

[Kuroko messaged Generation of Miracles~ o((*^▽^*))o]

[Kuroko: None of them have, Akashi-kun]

Midorima looked at the text on the phone he had just turned on. "Yes, I agree with you. However, the only one who could predict answers is _you_, Akashi."

"Are you accusing me of this, Midorima?" Akashi's voice sounded calm, but that made it seem even more threatening—like the eye of a supercell, where it was peaceful, but no matter what direction you went in, you'd be digging your own grave. "And what makes you think I'd have the audacity to do this?"

That was a question no one could answer.

Kise kind of hoped it was Kuroko. That Kuroko was texting in that coffin, and would pop out in only moments and say, with his usual deadpanned face, "just kidding." Then they would get mad at him. Then they would forgive him. Or at least, Kise would. _So Kuroko, please do that._

[Kuroko messaged you!]

"If it _is_ one of us, who the fuck is doing it-" Aomine was cut off.

[Kuroko messaged you!]

Murasakibara didn't understand anything. For what other people would think was the first time in his life, he cared about the entire issue. If someone was acting as Kuro-chin, then he'd-

[Kuroko messaged you!]

_This is getting out of hand,_ Midorima thought. This wasn't Akashi, was it...? Then again, Akashi had quite the unstable and mysterious personality... but he hadn't been the one full of surprises. That had always gone to Kuroko, and...

[Kuroko messaged you!]

Kagami was literally ready to bash someone's face in (if Aomine didn't beat him to it). At Kuroko's funeral. Though it would've caused a ruckus, it would've been more disrespectful for one of Kuroko's own _friends_ to masquerade as a dead man. Kuroko was... Kuroko was important, and that was why...

[Kuroko messaged you!]

_Logically, it _has _to be one of them. Ghosts don't exist. _Shut up. Besides, you're right about one thing: Kuroko wouldn't be a ghost. He'd be an angel. Always. _You saw that Shintarou was quick to accuse you, right? _Shin-Midorima's not that kind of person. _What do you know about them? Never letting anyone close. Never showing weakness in front of anyone. _Anyone but...

[Kuroko messaged you!]

As multicoloured eyes scanned over their screens, they all came to a realization. A simple one, that was properly voiced by a shaky Kise.

"It's him. It's Kurokocchi."

* * *

[Kuroko: Kise-kun I'm sorry for causing you so much pain. Its okay now, you don't have to lie to everyone and pretend you're fine. I'm fine. I'm dead I know I'm dead but Im fine. It doesn't even hurt. And I'm here anyways there isn't any need to be sad]

* * *

[Kuroko: Aomine-kun don't be so mad. I think its for the best that you didn't tell Momoi-san but she'll find out eventually. Sorry for setting off the alarm at your house. I'm glad you care about me but that shouldn't mean to ignore everything else. I know you didn't mean it when you said I was an asshole. Thank you though.]

* * *

[Kuroko: Murasakibara-kun you live very far so I couldn't visit you but you came and I'm very grateful. Even if you were forced you're here. That's enough. I'm sorry. I hope you didn't sleep the day away like I think you did. But it's okay. I'm dead but I'm still here. Thank you]

* * *

[Kuroko: Midorima-kun you should make up with Takao-kun right away. He's probably worried and doesn't understand what's happening. I wanted to visit you and see how you were doing, that's how I know that. It was me that called you]

* * *

[Kuroko: Kagami-kun thank you for not making a big deal while still caring. I think that's what I wanted. By the way Number Two was so worked up because he knows where I am. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you. I'm sorry I can't pass to you. I'm sorry]

* * *

[Kuroko: Akashi-kun. I know you're trying to act strong. It's true I don't know you all that much and I don't know everything about the whole 'two of Akashi-kun' thing. But I like and admire Akashi-kun. It's okay to show strength but we're your friends. Thank you so much for caring. I thought you didn't until I came to your hotel. I said it then but you couldn't hear me so I'll say it again. I am here. I'll always be here for everyone]

* * *

[Kuroko messaged Generation of Miracles~ o((*^▽^*))o]

[Kuroko: I'm dead but I'm here. I'll be here. I don't know how but I'm here. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you all so much. For everything. I'm here.]


End file.
